The predestination paradox, a closed time-like loop where a time traveler’s actions in the past cause the future event that compels them to travel back, is considered theoretically possible within the constraints of general relativity, but it is practically and physically unlikely. It aligns with the Novikov self-consistency principle, which suggests the timeline is self-consistent and cannot be changed, thus avoiding logical contradictions by having events unfold as they always have.
Is it theoretically possible to resolve a time paradox?
However, a new study may have resolved this issue. By combining general relativity, quantum mechanics, and thermodynamics, the study demonstrates that time travel might be feasible without leading to these logical contradictions.
The predestination paradox is a time-travel concept in which an event is both a cause and an effect of itself. One classic example of the predestination paradox is from the science fiction film 12 Monkeys.
"Try as you might to create a paradox, the events will always adjust themselves, to avoid any inconsistency," said Costa. "The range of mathematical processes we discovered show that time travel with free will is logically possible in our Universe without any paradox."
Predestination means that God has already written what is to happen in future and if we will go to heaven or hell. Free will means that we have free will to do as we desire.
Calvinists believe that, at the beginning of time, God selected a limited number of souls to grant salvation and there's nothing any individual person can do during their mortal life to alter their eternal fate. Either you were chosen or you were not chosen, and that's all there is to it.
John 3:16 seems to refute the idea that God chooses to save some people and not others. It says that “God so loved the world” not “God so loved certain people in the world.” And it clearly says that “whoever believes in him” receives eternal life.
According to Stephen Hawking, time travel is possible, and not just in the way we might think. Backward time travel is not supported by Hawking's theories, because new matter (a new you) would need to be created – one existing in the past and one in the present, traveling back in time.
It turns out, closed timelike curves are allowable under General Relativity. That means that they show up in some solutions to Einstein's equations, often involving hugely massive objects like black holes, but have never been observed in the actual universe.
Thus an individual knows they have been predestined for salvation only when they believe the gospel, and see in their heart faith and love for Jesus Christ. Taken together, our Triune God predestines, then sends his Son who accomplishes salvation, then sends his Spirit who applies salvation.
The predestination paradox was an integral part of The Terminator, the first movie in the Terminator franchise. There are two main examples where a future time traveler goes back in time and fulfills their role in history (rather than changing it):
Albert Einstein's theory of time travel is built around each of his theories of relativity. It is that an object moving at the speed of light will be able to travel into the future. This theory implies that only time travel into the future is possible.
While they sound straight out of a sci-fi movie (and indeed have inspired many), there's currently no empirical evidence supporting their existence or practicality for human use.
Stephen Hawking's "last warning" focused on two key existential threats: Artificial Intelligence (AI), which he feared could surpass and supersede humanity if mismanaged, and the need for humanity to colonize other planets to survive growing risks like overpopulation and climate change, advocating for a new space age to ensure our long-term survival. He warned in 2014 that full AI could "spell the end of the human race," as it could redesign itself at an increasing rate, making humans obsolete. In his final years, he stressed that Earth's problems (like population growth, climate issues) meant we needed to become a multi-planetary species to avoid self-destruction, a goal he hoped a new space program would accelerate.
What was Stephen Hawking's last theory before he died?
Hawking's final theory of the Big Bang provides a bold and surprising answer. It envisages the Universe as a holographic projection. In a familiar hologram, a third dimension of space emerges from the lines and scribbles on a screen.
Generally, no. Different regions of space experience different degrees of time dilation, but the differences between most regions are negligible. It is only when objects are very close to very massive objects (e.g., black holes) that time can (theoretically) be dilated to this extent (e.g., the movie Interstellar).
Sergei Krikalev, a Soviet cosmonaut, was stranded in space for 311 days (nearly a year) after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, leaving him without a country to fund his return and forcing him to stay on the Mir space station until the new Russian government could arrange his rescue, famously earning him the nickname "the last Soviet citizen".
Reportedly equipped with an IQ of 145, Grissom was nevertheless, he later admitted, not much of a "whiz" in school. "I guess it was a case of drifting and not knowing what I wanted to make of myself," he said.
Calvinists believe that before Adam's fall into sin, mankind had a free will and was able to choose the good. Free will has been lost because of sin, not because of divine sovereignty. “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom 8:8 ).
Following the teaching of Luther he stated: "If you relate human will to predestination, there is freedom in neither external nor internal acts, but all things take place according to determination." (1) Other than this statement, he avoided the discussion of predestination, stating that man should be very cautious ...
